Moving on

I’ve been looking for a good alternative to WordPress for a while.  Several have stepped up to the plate and struck out so far…iWeb, Blogger, Typepad, to name a few.

I think I’ve settled on Tumblr–a favorite among designers (giving it a sense of pseudo-legitimacy in my eyes).  I love its clean designs and focus on mini-blogging and sharing.

I’ll still be writing real blogs there, but I’ll also be able to throw some articles, pictures, videos, and even quotes (neat feature) your way.  I’m hoping this will bring more variety, more updates, and more conversation.  So hop on over!

Music Review: Welcome to the Welcome Wagon

Grade: A-

The Sunday Morning Gospel Hour meets Great Lakes brass-ified (Sufjan-ified) eccentric indie-pop.

While we all wait for Sufjan Stevens’ next legitimate album, this will more than do.

Welcome to the Welcome Wagon is the brainchild of Vito Aiuto (pastor of Resurrection Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn and the same Vito from “Vito’s Ordination Song”), his wife Monique, and the previously-mention Stevens.  And while this is not technically a Sufjan Stevens album (here he serves as producer and backup vocalist/instrumentalist), you can’t really separate this album from the Stevens canon.  His fingerprints are all over it.

That being said, this album still stands on its own as something unique, fresh, and pleasing.  While injected with some of the same brass and backup vocal armies traditionally found in Sufjan’s elaborate compositions, Welcome to the Welcome Wagon strikes a simpler, slower, more reverent tone.

Welcome to the Welcome Wagon, simply put, is church music.  It’s perhaps an unfair label to put on artists who have no interest of entering the brand-Christian music market, but Aiuto is a pastor, after all.  But when I say this is church music, don’t make the mistake of conjuring images of (at times) wishy-washy “I’m in love with Jesus” arena anthems.  We’re moreso talking about hymns here– amazingly, thankfully, this type of music is still being written.  Not unlike Sufjan’s own songs of faith, Welcome Wagon relies almost exclusively on biblical imagery and narrative, and specifically those dealing with atonement and holy week (making it a great listen for the drive to this morning’s Easter Sunday service).  The combination of rarely-heard Biblically-focused writing, old-style folk, and brassy, indie-licious trim make this one of the oddest albums I’ve ever encountered.  But that’s part of what makes it so endearing.

If you’re a fan of Sufjan Stevens (or Denison Witmer, Rosie Thomas, Danielson Famile, etc.), Welcome to the Welcome Wagon will fit into your library quite comfortably.  If you’re new to this circle of unique, thoughtful musicians, you may be surprised at just how enjoyable this album is.

5 tracks to check out:

1.  Up on a Mountain

2. Hail to the Lord’s Annointed

3.  I Am a Stranger

4.  But For You Who Fear My Name

5.  Sold! To the Nice Rich Man

Old Movie Reviews, Vol. II

Netflix continues to help me maintain sanity.  Here’s what’s been on tap lately:

Dead Poets Society (Grade: A-)

Dead Poets Society brings the baggage of expectation with it.  I don’t know if it’s the title, the subject, or its cult/legendary status as a thinking person’s film; whatever it is, I came into my viewing with high hopes.  And it lived up to those high hopes– mostly.  Robin Williams is the highlight here (though underutilized, in my opinion); when he’s at his best, there are few better.  The rest of the young cast–while really good for their age– has a few awkward moments.  And while the second act doesn’t quite live up to the first, Dead Poets Society is an enjoyable and thought-provoking film overall.

Saving Private Ryan (Grade: A)

It’s hard to grade films that aren’t really meant to be enjoyable.  You have to evaluate them on a completely different level.  Saving Private Ryan is nearly flawless in what it sets out to be– a gut-wrenching, realistic portrayal of the horrors of World War II.  Outside of some insane cinematography, the strength rests in an enormously talented ensemble cast that gives a painful/hopeful dose of humanity to this hellish portrait.  A must-see…even if only once.

The Italian Job (Grade: B)

And now for some lighter fare… Hot on the heels of Ocean’s Eleven, The Italian Job tried to emulate its winning smart-ensemble-caper-flick formula.  The Italian Job takes an edgier approach (Guns!  Car Chases!  Jason Statham!  Mark Wahlberg!  Mos Def?), but that’s the only real differentiation.  Everything still pretty much unfolds the same way.  But it more than fits the bill for some casual entertainment.  But sequel worthy (The Brazilian Job)?  Probably not.

The Visitor (Grade: A)

There should be more films like this.  This is a unique, incredible story, pure and simple.  Nothing else gets in the way.  Not an overly-wordy script or overly flashy production or big name actors.  Richard Jenkins got the Best Actor nomination (and deservedly so), but it’s the other three principal characters–all relative unknowns– that really carry things.  Subtle, human, and surprisingly musical, The Visitor is simply a beautiful film.

Slumdog Millionaire (Grade: A++)

Really?  A++?  I don’t give that out lightly.  Slumdog is exceptional.  I could be thinking that just because I’m still on a high after seeing it today.  Either way, this is the kind of film that will stick with you.  The unconventional cinematography, unconventional narrative style, unconventional story, and unconventional cast…it’s all golden.  With apologies to my buddy WALL-E, Slumdog Millionaire absolutely deserved Best Picture.

A vision of the future…

Thoughts?  Too much?  Not enough?  Probable?  Improbable?

Killer design, either way (produced by Oh, Hello….and, yes, Microsoft).

A moment of vulnerability

I’m not very good at this. I can be truly vulnerable with my fiancée, and that’s about it. And even that’s only at my times of greatest brokenness.
This world we live in today– it does things to you. When given the opportunity to make yourself heard at any moment– and we have that ability now– you fall into the trap of molding your voice to an audience. It’s salesmanship, when you think about it.

We have enough salespeople.

While the blogs and the facebooks and the twitters and the whatevers can provide opportunities for good, I often fall into the trap, consciously or not, of using these to bolster my own self-image– to make myself seem cooler, more spiritual, more Christian, or more wise than the reality of my private moments and thoughts.

In those private thoughts, I am very simply a constantly confused young man hoping to stumble into some revelation of who I am and who God is and what this world is. But, I have to admit, I haven’t stumbled into anything like that yet.

So, in the interim, I made some very nice Taylor Cox costumes to wear everyday. Taylor Cox the designer. Taylor Cox the wannabe theologian. Taylor Cox the relaxed, break-up-tense-moments-with-humor guy. And I would wear these costumes confidently. But then I would go to bed, often afraid, lonely, and unsure of who I really was.

It’s a bit of a bleak picture, I know. And it wasn’t so dramatic or sad as it may sound. Just empty.

My Lenten promise to God was to proactively become the person God wanted me to be. I soon discovered that, in order for that long process to being, some breaking needed to happen. I needed to break some conventions, some assumptions, and some of my protective armor. I was afraid that, underneath, I would be less than I wanted to be; or, above, that God wouldn’t be who I wanted God to be.

During this release, I realized that I had almost completely lost touch with the spiritual world. I only saw God in the physical and ideological– the charity of people, or the power of truth and goodness. I sought these out and thought, “these are godly things,” and that was the extent of my spirituality or connectedness to God.

I was keeping God at a safe distance.

I don’t always know what to think about the Holy Spirit or Heaven or the presence of a spiritual realm beyond what my logic-obsessed eyes can see. But I’ve recently been reminded that I most closely identify with God as Creator. And here’s the thing about creators: they don’t stop. They can’t stop.
It’s a nice-sounding truth that I talked about in papers and Bible studies. But I wasn’t seeking that reality in my own life and the world around me. Yet I truly believe that God is constantly creating, and beyond that, that Creation itself is entirely intertwined with God. I’m scared of the imperfections and the mysteries and the questions. There are some things that I just can’t reconcile with right now, and I may not be able to for a very long time. But it’s there, even when I ignore it.

And yet, these heady questions of spirituality and theology weren’t my real problem.

I forgot that God loved me.

I felt like God didn’t accept my questions and wandering. I felt like God must have been frustrated with my lack of progress and faith. God’s love rarely entered my mind. And that’s the most surefire way to feel alone, to feel disconnected from God. Again– God at a safe distance.

The love of God– it sounds so simple, so childish. We get in trouble when we wire ourselves to only accept the complicated, intelligent-sounding answers. And don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of complicated issues out there.

But without love, it’s all empty.

I just wanted to share that with all of you today.

Movie Reviews, Vol. I

These reviews are brought to you by Netflix and Hastings in Maryville, TN. Their affordability has had me on a movie-watching tear (at least for me) over the last week.

Kung Fu Panda
Grade: A-
I’ve been really hard on Dreamworks animation over the years, as they put out nothing but Pixar rip-offs (Antz, Shark Tale) and two too many Shrek movies (which is about to become three too many). So in my season of being a WALL-E apologist, I naturally ignored Kung Fu Panda. Yet when I started working on my Netflix queue, I felt compelled to start off with the Jack Black-being-Jack Black-but-as-a-panda comedy. First off, they had it available on Blu-Ray, and I don’t need much excuse to take in some HD eye candy. Secondly, the movie was received well by both critics and people I know.

The verdict? It’s actually a really good movie. Not a great film, mind you, but a really good movie; and that’s what it set out to be. It’s gorgeously animated in an old school, Looney Toons sort of way (as opposed to the realistic environments and camera details from WALL-E). It has a solid script, and a nice, lighthearted story. And yes, it looks amazing on Blu-Ray, so check it out if you have that chance. Well done, Dreamworks. Now please cancel Shrek the Fourth.

Ghost Town
Grade: B
Thanks to some combination of my affinity for The Office and for British accents, I’ve become a fan of Ricky Gervais. He’s actually quite funny on his own merit, but he’ll forever be connected to those two realms in my mind. I didn’t, however, expect much from Ghost Town, a.k.a. The Sixth Sense (of Humor). Tea Leoni never inspires much hope of greatness in a movie, I’m afraid. And I’m actually regularly annoyed by Greg Kinner, but that may be because he always plays annoying characters (no exception here). All that said, Ghost Town is pleasant enough. Not particularly memorable, but not at all painful. Gervais’ turn as a dentist-turned-awkward insult-comic isn’t golden with the same subtle humor from his roles in The Office or Extras (or even award shows), but it still works enough times to be funny. And the movie is decently heart-warming, and, again, not in a painful way.

Amadeus
Grade: B+
I’d actually seen Amadeus before…kind of. I saw the last 45 minutes, followed by the first 45 minutes, thanks to some incredible bizarre “editing” by Furman University channel 14. It wasn’t really enough to get a good feel for the ’85 Best Picture winner, so Tiffany and I gave it another go. It’s definitely a solid film; F. Murray Abraham in particular is very, very strong as famed composer/apparent schemer Antonio Salieri (that’s probably why they gave him a best actor nod for it). The thing is, it just drags. Then again, we rented the Director’s Cut, so there was probably some extra meat in there. Either way, I would definitely recommend it…but I would spread it over three sittings or so. And I also recommend having a music history knowledgeable companion; there are a lot of important historical and musical intricacies in there that need to be known/explained to really appreciate the story.

The Shawshank Redemption
Grade: A+
Hyperbole warning: as far as what I appreciate in a movie, Shawshank nears perfection. Acting with serious emotion depth and diversity? Check. A story that is epic not because of the scale of the setting but the scale of its characters? Check. A film that visits the realistically dark corners of the human heart only to drag us back out to shine on life-affirming hope? Check. Morgan Freeman? Check. Shawshank knows that, often, deepest hope is born out of deepest brokenness, and it will drag you both places, kicking and screaming.

And if I ever have the strange misfortune of ending up in prison, I want Red to be my friend.

Incoherent Thoughts (and outcoherent ones, too)

Do you ever feel distracted when you don’t really even have any distractions?  That’s me.  I’m distracted, and not necessarily by something.  Just distracted.  My mind has been blank way too often recently.  Even when I have an idea– some design, something to write, something to do– it doesn’t happen a lot, unless I have some external motivation to do so (i.e. deadlines).  This realization is just yet another to add onto the pile of realizations and reasons that I’ve been losing myself and my voice lately.

I’ve been working, but not doing or being.  Kind of machine-like.  So if anyone were to tell me right now, “man, you’re a machine,” I’m not going to take that as a compliment.

Why is that a compliment, anyways?  Who would rather be a machine?

Regretfully, I’m not always a very disciplined person, so the season of Lent is a strange one for me.  Yes, I’m a Baptist, but I think Lent is awesome.  You know, in that somber, self-sacrificial sort of way…

I’m not sure why Lent is so frowned-upon across Protestantism.  I think it may have to do with some misplaced association between Christian ritual and the Law (in the Hebrew/Pauline sense).  Some say that Christ has set us free from such things.  I think where we miss the point is in our understanding of just what this “freedom in Christ” means.  Is this freedom to indulge completely and consistently in our desires?  Or is this freedom from the desires that tie us down?  I think that one of the prisons that Christ can save us from is this feeling that our daily routine and preferred lifestyle is of utmost importance.  I find myself in that prison.  But freedom in Christ is a higher calling, and one that requires sacrifice and discipline.

The ritual of Lent, practiced sincerely by a community, can be a wonderfully powerful thing.  We’re not often strong enough to follow this path of sacrifice alone.  And it certainly doesn’t hurt to block out these forty days, if only to prepare our too-stagnant hearts and minds for the Easter season.

———————–(This is a line to separate serious thoughts from non-serious thoughts.)

I still haven’t seen Slumdog Millionaire.  I’m going to have an Oscar rental festival once these movies hit stores.  I’m happy that Slumdog, a film with no Hollywood Royalty attached to it, got so much love.  I’m also happy that an uplifting movie took home the gold– recently, “happiness” has not translated into Oscar success.

It’s also time to say farewell, as my favorite movie rolls off into that CG sunset.  WALL-E received more nominations than any other animated film ever (six), but still was victim to the apparently strong anti-animation inclination in the Academy.  It didn’t get the Best Picture nod that it deserved (which would have been a victory for animation artists everywhere), and got snubbed big time in losing both the Sound Design and Sound Mixing categories.

WALL-E was a truly unique work of art, and I’m sad to see it go.  I’m hoping that Up can deliver on the already massive pre-screening hype it’s been building up in the last few weeks.

———————–

I’ve been pulling double-duty the last couple of weeks (and will be for at least one week more), as I’ve been freelancing for North Point Community Church again.  They sent a couple of title package jobs (my favorites) my way.  Not even my own family has seen either of these, so I thought I would post them.

(If the videos don’t pop up, just go to my vimeo page.

Also, the new Concoxions home page is up.  And it’s got Flash in it!  Ok, it’s just a simple looping slideshow, but I’m pretty pumped about even that.

I’ve starting to work on some ideas for the Chillipepper promo, and I really want to see if I can throw in some basic 3D motion graphics this time.  It’ll be a great learning experience.  I did this two-second test today:

(You can see an HD version if you click “HD is off”)

And finally…a model of a glass of water that I made today.  Just for fun.